Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A storage device having stored instructions which, when executed by at least one computing processor, implement a method for sending communications, the method comprising: an act of receiving a network packet from an application at a computer system within a site, the network packet having an address header and a data payload, the address header including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field containing a unique identifier for another computer system at another site from the perspective of the application, the source address field containing a local address for the application within the site, the data payload containing data for the other computer system; an act of accessing an address mapping that maps the unique identifier to a site address for the other site and to a local address for the other computer system within the other site; an act of modifying the network packet based on the address mapping to include an outer address header, an inner address header, and the data payload, the outer address header including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination field of the outer address header containing the site address for the other site, the source address field of the outer address header containing a site address for the site, the inner address header also including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field of the inner address header containing the local address for the other computer system within the other site, the source address field of the inner address header containing the local address for the application within the site; and an act of sending the modified network packet to the other site based on the site address for the other site.
A system sends network packets between computer systems on different sites (networks). When an application at a computer within a site sends a packet, the system modifies the packet with two address headers: an outer header and an inner header. The original destination address, which is a unique identifier for a computer system at another site, is used to look up the site address and the internal address of that computer. The outer header contains the source and destination site addresses for routing between sites. The inner header contains the source and destination internal addresses for routing within the sites. The modified packet is then sent based on the destination site address found in the outer header.
2. The storage device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising prior to modifying the network packet: an act of receiving global address pair information for the other computer system from a name server, the global address pair information being received in response to a name resolution request sent from the application to the name server, the global address pair information including the site address for the other site and the local address for the other computer system within the other site; an act of formulating the unique identifier from the global address pair information; an act of storing the address mapping within a local store; and an act of returning the unique identifier to the application.
To send a network packet, as described in the previous claim, the system first obtains the destination computer's site address and internal address from a name server. The application sends a name resolution request to the name server, which returns the site address and internal address. From this information, a unique identifier is created (used by the application) and an address mapping is stored locally, linking the unique identifier to the site and internal addresses. The unique identifier is then returned to the application, which it uses as the destination address.
3. The storage device as recited in claim 2 , wherein the act of receiving global address pair information for the other computer system comprises an act of receiving a globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system.
In the process of obtaining the destination computer's address, as described in the previous claim, the system receives a globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system from the name server. The site address and the local address are embedded within the IPv6 address.
4. The storage device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the act of formulating the unique identifier from the global address pair information comprises an act of making the unique identifier the globally unique IPv6 address.
In the process of creating a unique identifier as described in claim 2, the system uses the globally unique IPv6 address (containing the site address and local address) itself as the unique identifier.
5. The storage device as recited in claim 3 , wherein the act of formulating the unique identifier from the global address pair information comprises an act of formulating a unique identifier from the globally unique IPv6 address.
In the process of creating a unique identifier as described in claim 3, the system formulates a unique identifier derived *from* the globally unique IPv6 address, but not necessarily the IPv6 address itself.
6. The storage device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the act of receiving the network packet comprises an act of receiving a packet that contains a globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system in the destination address field.
When an application sends a network packet, as described in claim 1, the destination address field of the packet's address header contains a globally unique IPv6 address for the destination computer system at the other site. This IPv6 address implicitly includes site and local address information.
7. The storage device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the act of accessing an address mapping includes accessing an address mapping from a local store and wherein the address mapping maps the unique identifier for the other computer system to an IPv4 address for the other site and an IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site.
When accessing the address mapping, as described in claim 1, the system consults a local store that maps the unique identifier for the other computer system to an IPv4 address for the other site and a separate IPv4 address for the specific computer system within that site.
8. The storage device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the act of sending the modified network packet includes sending the modified packet to a site edge router for the site so that the site edge router can route the modified packet to a site edge router at the other site based on the site address based on the IPv4 address for the other site.
To send the modified network packet, as in claim 7, the system sends the packet to a site edge router. This router then uses the IPv4 address for the other site to route the packet to the destination site's edge router. The routing occurs between site edge routers.
9. The storage device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the address mapping maps the unique identifier for the other computer system to an IPv4 address for the other site and an IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site and wherein the address mapping further maps a globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system to the IPv4 address for the other site and the IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site.
The address mapping, as in claim 7, maps the unique identifier to both IPv4 addresses (site and computer within the site) and also maps a globally unique IPv6 address for the destination to the same pair of IPv4 addresses. The system uses both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
10. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the modifying and sending are both performed by a router associated with the site.
The modification of the network packet (adding inner and outer headers) and the sending of the packet, as described in claim 1, are both performed by a router associated with the originating site.
11. A storage device having stored instructions which, when executed by at least one computing processor, implement a method for receiving communications, the method comprising: an act of receiving a network packet at a site, the network packet having been transferred over a wide area network from another site, the network packet including an outer address header, an inner address header, and a data payload, the outer address header including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination field of the outer address header containing a site address for the site, the source address field of the outer address header containing a site address for the other site, the inner address header also including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field of the inner address header containing the local address for an application within the site, the source address field of the inner address header containing the local address for the other computer system within the other site; an act of accessing an address mapping that maps the site address for the other site and the local address for the other computer system within the other site to a unique identifier for the other computer system from the perspective of the application; an act of modifying the network packet based on the address mapping to have an address header and the payload, the address header including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field containing the local address for the application within the site and the source address field containing the unique identifier; and an act of sending modified network packet to the application based on the local address for the application within the site, the unique identifier indicating where the application can send any response data packets.
A system receives a network packet at a site, sent from another site over a wide area network. The packet has an outer header (containing source and destination *site* addresses) and an inner header (containing source and destination *computer* addresses within those sites), as well as a data payload. The system maps the source site address and source internal computer address to a unique identifier. The system then modifies the packet to remove the inner and outer headers, placing the destination internal address in the destination field and the unique identifier as the source address. Finally, it forwards the packet to the application.
12. The storage device as recited in claim 11 , wherein said receiving the network packet includes receiving the network packet from a site edge router for the site and wherein the destination field of the outer address header of the network packet contains an IPv4 address for the site and wherein the destination address field of the inner address header of the network packet contains a local IPv4 address for the application within the site.
The system receives the network packet from a site edge router as described in claim 11. The destination field of the outer header contains an IPv4 address for *this* site, and the destination field of the inner header contains a local IPv4 address for the target application within this site.
13. The storage device as recited in claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises an act of formulating a globally unique IPv6 address for the application from the IPv4 address for the site and the local IPv4 address for the application within the site.
As described in claim 12, the system formulates a globally unique IPv6 address for the application (at the destination) by combining the site's IPv4 address and the application's local IPv4 address into a single IPv6 address.
14. The storage device as recited in claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises: an act of issuing a reverse name lookup to a name server, the reverse lookup containing the globally unique IPv6 address; and an act of receiving a name for the application back from the name server.
As described in claim 13, the system performs a reverse name lookup using the newly formulated globally unique IPv6 address to obtain the application's name from a name server. This involves sending the IPv6 address to the name server and receiving the application's name in response.
15. The storage device as recited in claim 12 , wherein prior to accessing the address mapping the method further comprises: an act of formulating the unique identifier for the other computer system from the IPv4 address for the other site and the local IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site; and storing the address mapping in a local store.
Before accessing the address mapping as described in claim 11, the system formulates a unique identifier from the IPv4 address of the other site and the local IPv4 address of the other computer system (the original sender) within that site. This mapping (unique identifier to IPv4s) is stored in a local store for later use.
16. The storage device as recited in claim 15 , wherein the act of formulating the unique identifier for the other computer system comprises: an act of formulating a globally unique IPv6 address from the IPv4 address for the other site and the local IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site; and an act of making the unique identifier the globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system.
As described in claim 15, the system creates the unique identifier for the other computer system by first formulating a globally unique IPv6 address by combining the other site's IPv4 address and the other computer's local IPv4 address. The system then assigns this IPv6 address to be the unique identifier.
17. The storage device as recited in claim 16 , wherein the destination field of the outer address header of the received network packet contains a site IPv4 address for the site, the source address field of the outer address header contains a site IPv4 address for the other site, the destination address field of the inner address header contains a local IPv4 address for the application within the site, and the source address field of the inner address header contains the local IPv4 address for the other computer system within the other site.
The received network packet, as described in claim 16, has the following structure: the outer header's destination contains the site's IPv4 address, the outer header's source contains the other site's IPv4 address, the inner header's destination contains the application's local IPv4 address, and the inner header's source contains the other computer system's local IPv4 address.
18. The storage device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the act of modifying the network packet based on the address mapping comprises an act of modifying the network packet to include a destination address field containing the local IPv4 address for the application within the site and to include a source address field containing the globally unique IPv6 address for the other computer system.
As described in claim 17, when modifying the network packet, the system sets the destination address field to the application's local IPv4 address and sets the source address field to the globally unique IPv6 address that represents the original sending computer.
19. The storage device as recited in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises: an act of receiving a further network packet from the application having an address header and a data payload, the address header of the further network packet including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field containing the unique identifier, the source address field containing the local address for the application within the site, the data payload containing data for the other computer system; an act of accessing the address mapping; an act of modifying the further network packet based on the address mapping to include an outer address header, an inner address header, and the data payload, the outer address header including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination field of the outer address header containing the site address for the other site, the source address field of the outer address header containing a site address for the site, the inner address header also including a destination address field and a source address field, the destination address field of the inner address header containing the local address for the other computer system within the other site, the source address field of the inner address header containing the local address for the application within the site; and an act of sending the modified further network packet to the other site based on the site address for the other site.
The system, as in claim 11, receives a subsequent network packet *from* the application. This packet's header contains the unique identifier (representing the destination computer) and the application's local address. The system uses the stored address mapping to add an outer and inner header. The outer header contains the site addresses. The inner header contains the computer addresses. The modified packet is then sent to the other site based on the destination site address. The system thus handles bidirectional communication.
20. The storage device of claim 11 , wherein the modifying is performed by a router associated with the site.
The modification of the network packet during reception, as described in claim 11, is performed by a router associated with the receiving site.
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December 9, 2014
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